Fixed: Error Code NP-34957-8 On PlayStation [2023]

Over the course of the past decade, Sony has released generation-defining consoles that have won the hearts of gamers, such as the PS2 and PSP. However, among these are the best-selling PS4 and the recently released PS5, which are both immensely powerful consoles with a great library of games and exclusive titles. But still, being a working machine can gradually wear out its components and capabilities, thus causing issues to occur, such as the error np-34957-8, which is an annoying problem on both the Playstation consoles.

What Is The NP-34957-8 Error Code?

In order to understand what we’re dealing with here, you first need to acknowledge some important details regarding what the error code message means. The error code np-34957-8 is mostly correlated to a network issue on both of the newer PlayStation consoles, as indicated by the first two letters in the code ‘NP,’ which stands for ‘Network Problem.’ It is similar to the error code CE-34878-0, where ‘CE’ stands for Common Errors.

Throughout both the PS4 and PS5’s life cycle, there have been numerous variants of these vague errors with different numerical codes that lead to specific problems with the software or hardware But looking at the message prompt of our np-34957-8 error then, and it is pretty self-explanatory to understand the problem.

The issue prompt states, “The Playstation Network is currently undergoing maintenance.” It correlates with the console being unable to properly establish a connection to the backend Playstation servers, hence resulting in problematic intrusions such as the np-34957-8 error code.

How To Fix The Error Code NP-34957-8 On Playstation

It is all thanks to the various Reddit and Discord communities where Playstation 4 & 5 users have listed a few workarounds which have managed to help them remove this pesky error code from their console.

Restart The Console

Before we even jump into the more complex methods, it is imperative that you restart the PlayStation console once or twice to check if it removes the error. It is, quite possibly, one of the oldest tricks in the book when it comes to resolving any sort of major issue found on your PC or console. Many gamers around the world often flock to the idea of rebooting their system, so it is definitely something that you should try too.

You should have no problem when it comes to actually rebooting the console since all it takes is just navigating to the power options on both systems and selecting the “Restart” option. PS4 users can simply press the PS button on the Dualshock 4 and navigate to the power options from there. Meanwhile, PS5 users just have to press and hold the PS button on the Dualsense to open the quick access menu, where they can select the power menu.

Alternatively, there is also the added benefit of Power Cycling on the console, which is a loophole many gamers probably wouldn’t know about right now. It is quite simple to do if you follow our instructions carefully:

• First of all, you should completely turn off the console.
• After doing so, remove the power cord from behind it and just to be safe, you should also remove the extension or unplug it from your power outlet too to remove any excess electricity.
• Once you have done that, it is all a matter of waiting for at least a couple of minutes.
• Now just reconnect the cables back again with the console.
• Start up the system again and verify if the issue has been resolved. If not, then we can now move on to the subsequent methods in our list.

Update The System Software

The Operating System plays a pivotal role in any hardware as it is the core functioning software so that the system can easily handle all of the provided tasks. So with that in mind, it is highly suggested that you keep the firmware of both the PS5 and PS4 updated to their version. More often than not, issues like the error code np-34957-8 can also originate from the console OS being outdated or corrupted in some manner.

You can efficiently reinstall or update the system software of the PS5 and PS4 in the following way, which works the same for both systems:

• Most of the time, the System Software update will be automatically downloaded and installed, but if it goes corrupt, then you can opt to do the process manually too.
• Firstly, you will need a USB drive with at least 4 Gigabytes of space, and most importantly, make sure to have it formatted to either ExFat or FAT32 format in order to download the firmware update file on it.
• You can safely download the latest Firmware update by visiting the Official PS5 and PS4 System Software sites which can guide you on how to download the up-to-date version.
• Depending on your console, you will need to add a Folder in the USB directory titled either ‘PS4 or ‘PS5’ and inside it, make sure to save the update file as “PS4/PS5UPDATE.PUP”.

• Now we are looking to boot up the consoles in their safe mode, which can be done by pressing and holding the power button for 7-8 seconds. You will hear a 2nd beep from the PS4 and PS5 after the initial one, which will open up their Safe Mode Menu.
• The menu contains a variety of helpful options, including the setting to factory reset your console.
• But for now, though, just select the third option in this menu, which is the Update System Software, and choose to do it manually via the USB instead of the Internet.
• If you followed the instructions as advised, the console should be able to detect the Firmware update file, after which it will begin the process of installing it.
• It may take up to a few minutes but rest assured it should be complete without any hindrances.
• Head back to the main dashboard of the system and verify if you can connect to the servers now.

Rebuild The Database

More often than not, you will want to remove the excess system cache or data that will be roaming needlessly on your Playstation Console. Luckily PC users have that blessing in disguise via the different Store Launchers and their features, such as Steam‘s Verify Integrity of Game Files option. Similarly, Playstation users can use a function in the Safe Menu of their consoles called the Rebuild Database option.

The feature is used to boost the system memory, which will undoubtedly help keep the UI and general processing of the consoles stable and free of any known or major issues. You can begin the Rebuild Database process on your PS5 or PS4 by following our step-by-step procedure on it:

• Of course, make sure your console is completely turned off
• Press and hold down the power button for a few seconds after the initial boot-up sound to hear a 2nd one which will open up the Safe Mode menu on your screen
• You will be prompted to connect your controller to your Playstation in order to navigate the menu.
• Select the 5th option, which is called the “Rebuild Database,” as shown in the image above.
• Once you have confirmed the process, the console should reboot and begin the rebuild database operation.
• It should only roughly take about a few minutes to complete, but once you’re done, check back into your account and see if you can connect to the PSN servers now.

Retry Logging Into PSN

Believe it or not, there are some reports on Reddit by users suggesting others experiencing the error try logging in and out of their PSN account on the console. There are rare occurrences where the error code np-34957-8 and other issues like it can simply arise due to your account data being unable to sync with the backend servers of the Playstation Network services.

There are also other instances where your Trophies will fail to sync with PSN or the worst-case scenario where the account data stored in the Cloud will get connection disruptions out of the blue. So for odd cases like those, it’d be wise just simply to log out and sign back into PSN.

• It is a simple process that just involves navigating to the Settings tab on the PS4 or PS5.
• Once here, look for the Account Management Option, as shown in the image above.

• From here, both PS4 and PS5 users can simply select the Sign Out option, which will let you log out of the PSN service on the console.
• Now it’s just quickly logging back into the network via your PSN account credentials, which should take just a few seconds to get you back in; now, verify if this eliminated the issue or not.

• PS5 Users will only have to go scroll down into the Other tab, where they can find the option to log out and out of their PlayStation Account.
• While here, you can also try heading into the “Link with other Services” options, where users can try re-linking their social platform accounts such as Youtube, Twitch, and Twitter. These services might’ve gone offline in some way or been updated, which might be causing issues to the PSN service, especially if you have their account linked to the console.

Evaluate The PSN Server Status

PlayStation is an extension of Sony and one of the largest corporate businesses in the world. They have tons of valuable assets and technology that regularly need to perform optimally to match the standards of their consumers and more. Their products, like the PS4 and PS5, primarily operate on the basis of the PlayStation Network Service (PSN), which is used for your online connectivity in various games on the systems.

However, there will often be times when the PSN service will be taken offline for scheduled maintenance. This will mostly occur due to the servers being overloaded in capacity or the worst-case scenario being that they get hacked by an anonymous group or users. But there is no need to worry as the latter may rarely happen these days since Sony is actively pushing to increase the security limits on their servers every single day.

Thankfully you can easily evaluate the condition of the servers through the Official Server Status on PlayStation’s website, which will detail all of the known or affected services such as the PSN store or the general multiplayer and social hub of the system. The minimum downtime of these servers being offline should only last an hour or so, depending on the situation, since Sony will be hard at work trying to fix it as soon as possible.

Improve Your Network Connection

There is a wide variety of gamers around the world who regularly use the PS4 and PS5, but if you are one of those users who experiences network problems like these on PSN every so often, then it might be time for an internet connection upgrade or something similar along the lines.

In order to access the PSN service with ease, you should at least have a 4MB connection or better than that. Furthermore, we cannot stress enough that an adequate bandwidth will be key to maintaining a smooth and coherent connection to the back-end servers of Sony. Any kind of instability or disruptions might cause problems for you in your multiplayer video games as well as impact the link between the PSN servers too.

Luckily, you have the option to switch from your wireless connection in favor of investing in an ethernet cable connection on the console. This will provide a significant difference in internet speeds as an ethernet cable maintains a constant flux of bandwidth so that you can play on the system without any worries. It also eliminates the chances of lag or latency in Multiplayer titles too, which will undoubtedly hinder your enjoyment.

You can even contact your Internet Service Provider for upgrades to your modem or router device speed or even ways they can route an ethernet cable connection to your console from the device. Lastly, if you cannot do that, then no worries, as you can also enable custom DNS settings on the console too, which we are going to discuss briefly coming up.

Use The Google DNS Settings

This is one of those loophole fixes discovered by users on different community forums and groups where you can insert the Google DNS settings into your PS4 and PS5’s network settings. It essentially stands for Domain Name System and is one of the core functions of your internet connectivity across multiple devices.

The Official DNS protocol of Google is popular around the world and verified by multiple networking enthusiasts as it provides a freely accessible and better experience than most ISP DNS values. Furthermore, your current DNS might be facing technical issues, too, so it is worth switching to see if it fixes the problem. PlayStation users can enable the Google DNS values by following the step-by-step method:

• First of all, head into your main settings of either PS4 and PS5 to the Network Options.
• Once here, navigate to Set Up Internet Connection. If you have a pre-existing ethernet connection, you will have to add a new one on the PS5 to modify it to your custom values. Aside from that, a wireless connection can also be customized to your preferences.

• Next, instead of selecting from the list of available networks, look down to spot the Set Up Manually option and select that one.
• Now pick your Internet Connection from the list to modify its settings.

• You will be displayed with a variety of options to tweak your Network connection.
• You have the option of keeping them Automatic or rewriting them using the Manual setting.
• For now, just scroll down to the Primary DNS and Secondary DNS Settings in the list.
• Here, modify the Primary DNS to ‘8.8.8.8’ and the Secondary DNS to ‘8.8.4.4’, respectively, as shown in the image above.
• Now, this is completely optional, but you can also change the MTU settings to ‘1478’ too. In layman’s terms, the setting can affect the packet fragmentation of your internet data. So we have only changed it just a bit from the default 1500 value so that there is not much noticeable difference.

Contact PlayStation Support

Lastly, if all hope is lost, then you might have to consider contacting a Sony or PlayStation Support Agent who will be able to further look into any hardware malfunction on your console. The customer support team has specified working hours for their service, but thankfully they are reliable, as said by numerous players on Reddit who got various issues resolved just by getting in touch with the help team.

Fortunately, you can head straight to the Official Support Page to learn more about each issue on different Sony gaming consoles and software, as well as the network-related ones correlating to the np-34957-8 error code. There is enough detail on the page that you will most likely receive the proper solution to any kind of major problem on your system and its PSN services.

Moreover, there is an official Contact Us that you can resort to in order to have a Live Chat with a PlayStation representative who can help you in resolving any problem that you otherwise just can’t seem to fix via the main support page. The waiting list to initiate a live chat can vary from up to 10 to 15 minutes, but we strongly advise being patient as most major issues can easily be resolved by talking directly to the agent.